Tuesday, December 30, 2008

One day left of this crazy year! I wonder what the new one will bring... peace, prosperity, good health, and lots of art... I hope! This energetic painting is titled "Dancing in the Desert", it is on a 12x12 gallery wrapped canvas and comes ready to hang. $375.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Skiing was fun yesterday.... but very cold and windy!In the middle of a cold and snowy winter, this little painting titled "Sweet Spot" can take you to a very warm place. It is an original acrylic (8x16) on gallery wrapped canvas for $225 I am working on some larger pieces, which I hope to post soon. Sunny thoughts-MelissaSOLD

Friday, December 26, 2008

The Christmas rush is over! It was very nice to spend time with family and eat lots of good food... but it is always nice to get back to painting! I am starting a couple of large pieces but I worked on this little sea star painting today. "Stars and Tinsel" for Christmas memories. It is 9"x12" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, ready to hang, no frame needed for $225. Tomorrow I am skiing... so no daily painting for me.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Happy Soltice Day! It is 11 below and I couldn't drag myself out to the studio... bad me. I did work on the computer uploading new images to my online store on Etsy .com This is a piece I did this summer titled "Hermit Crab's Kingdom". It is a "puzzle" piece with acrylic on canvas, wood, and air-dry clay starfish. It is 16x20, $545. I am just putting a new puzzle painting together, which I WILL work on tomorrow. It is 26x48 and will be of fall trees and Kokanee salmon.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Started the day by snow shoeing with Brandon in our 20" of new fallen snow! I had a couple of bits of good news. I'll be doing a new 15x30 commission of dolly varden for a couple living in Ireland. Also I heard from the owner of the Farrago gallery in New Delhi, India and he liked "Peacocks and Pomegranates" from yesterday and wants to do a show there. I met him when I visited last November... so that is exciting! Here is my work from today, "Winter Crow". He is 8x10 on a gallery wrapped canvas and is available for $200 plus $10 s/h SOLD

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Yeah! I just finished "Peacocks and Pomegranates". The snow is coming down and forming great big fluffy drifts and I was cozily cocooned within my warm studio... painting a tropical Indian scene!

This painting is 36"x 48" and is going to the MAC's (Museum of Arts and Culture) sales and rental program. I enjoyed creating the texture, colors, patterns and the dramatic tension between the two characters.

Monday, December 15, 2008

I do like to play with three dimensional pieces in between paintings! This is a raku-fired ceramic piece that I sculpted last summer. I am currently working on a large (36x48) acrylic on canvas of a woman and peacock. She should be up within the next couple of days. I would also like to start painting some small "daily paintings"...tomorrow! Thanks to everyone visiting my blog, I so appreciate your interest and support.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Salmon are my anchor. When I first started painting, Brandon and I did an article on swimming with salmon in the Cambell River, British Columbia and the images from that trip have always stayed in my mind. The big red sockeye salmon were twisting and swirling around me trying to make it to the next bend in the river where they could spawn and then die. They seemed to represent life itself and the struggle for some inner calling. Whenever I feel uninspired or have been away from my studio for too long, I reach for a brush and paint salmon again... they can always keep me going.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Here is my first cement sculpture, which I created in two days at Zef Rose's "casual concrete" workshop last weekend. We made molds in damp sand and poured our concrete mixture into them. The next day we removed our sculptures and carved and shaped them with rasps and clay tools. Then we painted them with natural pigments and sealed them when they were dry. Since he is the first he is not for sale, but look for more concrete creations in the future!

Monday, December 8, 2008

I had a fun-filled, creative weekend in Ocean Shores, WA. I dropped off paintings at the Fusions Gallery, including "Fallen for You", which sold while I was there-Yeah!I met copper sculptor Walter Massey and his wife Norma, who were very inspirational. I participated in a cement sculpting workshop with Artist Zef Rose and sculpted a beautiful sockeye salmon which is currently drying. I will seal it tomorrow and post it to the blogWalking on the long stretch of Ocean Shore beach was very relaxing, and I'm ready to create again...

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Yeah! I just finished "Couched upon Stars", the paint is still drying... I so enjoyed painting this "puzzle" piece. It has canvas panels of different depths as well wood moldings and fused glass accents all attached to one back. After painting many birds it was so nice to lose myself beneath the sea again. There is a bit of what I feel like when I dive, and my wonderful memories of playing with an octopus in the cold waters of Vancouver Island within this painting. I am spending the weekend in Ocean Shores, WA. I'll be dropping this painting off at Fusions Gallery as well as taking a workshop on sculpting cement!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Another Day, a little painting a lot of running around. I wanted to post a figure, because I don't only paint birds! "Lily has wings" was inspired by going solo as an artist. It is definitely a little frightening to be a full time artist, and I have barely just begun. But I have faith that I am living the life I should and doing what I love and hopefully I can continue to earn living. My wings are starting to grow!

SOLD

If you are interested in Lily, she is on a 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas for $525 or see more of my figures, go to

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I know, another raven! I actually started this the other day when I was doing a texture demonstration for 100 high school seniors. It was for Spokane's "Festival of the Arts" and I was the guest speaker. It made me nervous to talk to that many people, but it went very well and we had fun. Both the students and I learned from each other. They are now going to work on some of the techniques I showed them and create their own paintings. On April 5th there will be a show of their work at the Fox Theater in Spokane. I am excited to see what they come up with. So I finished "Moonlight Serenade" at home. I am having a blast playing with different types of texture, from molding paste to hand-made paper, to grout! Another fun and productive day.... yeah. December 2nd, 2008

Monday, December 1, 2008

Fall is here and it is a time for thanksgiving.I've never posted a blog before, but I seem to be trying new things...so here goes.I love thanksgiving and so it seemed an appropriate name for this painting. I drove down to see my family in Oregon and dropped off "Thanksgiving" at the Attic Gallery on the way back home. During my visit mom and I picked up handfuls of colorful leaves to dry and saw a big beautiful red and white spotted toadstool, which I must paint soon! I am thankful that I get to try out my new life as a full time artist-hooray!December 1st, 2008www.melissacole.comSOLD

About Me

Contact me: sirenagraphics@hotmail.com
Artist Melissa Cole often finds herself snorkeling with salmon, smooching manatees, and swimming with tiger sharks. It is from these amazing encounters that she derives much of the inspiration for her vividly colored, heavily textured and patterned acrylic paintings.
Cole was born in Oregon and raised in London, Hong Kong, and India. She graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Zoology and spent time as a naturalist guide in Mexico. She’s written over 30 children’s natural history books and travels with her husband Brandon, who is a wildlife photographer specializing in marine life. Melissa has always dabbled in art, but has spent the last ten years fully devoted to it. She is strongly influenced by ethnic patterns, which she sees in her travels abroad. “You’ll find lots of dots, and a distinct border pattern in each of my pieces.” Her work is found in galleries ranging from Stephan Fine Arts in Anchorage, Alaska to The Wild Side Gallery in Key West, Florida.